Will UF, FSU, UM let LB leave Florida
Junior to Watch: Keith Rivers
School: Lake Mary, Fla.
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Position: Inside linebacker
Size and speed: Rivers is 6-foot-2, 220-pounds and has been clocked at 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash by his college coach and at a few summer camps. Rivers also has a 330-pound bench-press, can put up 185 pounds 25 times and can also squat 425 pounds.
Honors: Rivers was an all-state, all-district, all-conference and all-Central Florida pick as a junior.
Statistics: Rivers had 105 solo tackles, 55 assists, 11 tackles for a loss, four pass breakups, three sacks, two fumble recoveries and one interception as a junior.
Favorite Schools: Rivers already has offers from a who’s who in college football. Rivers lists USC, Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, Miami and Central Florida as his top teams. He has offers from USC, Florida, Florida State and UCF in that group.
Skinny: Looking for the top linebacker in the Southeast for the Class of 2004? Then look no further because many college coaches have already tabbed Lake Mary, Fla., linebacker Keith Rivers with that title.
And by looking at him on film, it’s easy to see what the college coaches like.
He’s strong – on one clip he takes on two blockers, sheds them and then rips into the ball carrier and pushes him back three yards.
He’s fast – on one play he has to dodge blockers and race to the side line and then explode into the rusher for a huge loss.
And he’s good – just by looking at all of the clips he definitely has a nose for the football and a wealth of football knowledge.
Yep, Rivers is one of the nation’s best of the best.
“I hear stuff like that and it’s flattering,” Rivers said. “Thank you for talking about me like that and honoring me.”
So what words would Rivers use to describe his own play?
“I’m fast,” he said. “I also am always going downhill to the ball.”
Rivers said he’s not rushing the recruiting process but has already thought about a few things that will be important to him when the time to make a decision comes.
“I think the biggest things are location and the city itself,” he said. “I want to be at a school where I feel comfortable with the surroundings and if there are things to do. I’m also going to look hard at the coaches and my future teammates. I need to be able to hang and relate with them.”
In a perfect world, Rivers said his dream school would be in a hot environment and on natural turf.
“But I don’t mind the cold, too,” he said. “But I’m from Florida.”